Barriers
by elizabethruthkyle
Summary: They had made an agreement years ago. They weren't necessarily together, at least that was what the public thought, and Sasuke preferred it to stay that way. He was the face of the company while Itachi was away and nothing could come and ruin all that he has worked for. That is until Fugaku realizes that the attachment to the Uzumaki boy has gone on for far too long.
1. Agreement

Naruto hummed the same song he's had in his head for the past couple of days. A hand rested over his exposed stomach while the other skimmed over the milky skin of the body next to him. Obsidian eyes regarded the scars on his cheeks, the long blond lashes that fanned over his skin and lips that would twitch every so often when a thought would pass through his mind.

"I need to leave."

His humming stopped and he turned his head to look at the other man.

"Well I ain't holding you back."

The grip on his forearm said otherwise.

"Naruto..."

The blond smiled; albeit sadly but he knew that it was to come.

"Who would have thought our story would be so tragic, huh Sasuke? "Art student seduces childhood friend who is co-owner of multi-billion company." People would have a such a field day with that."

His arms were lifted up in the air, his fingers making an L as if imagining the headline himself. Sasuke scoffed, all in good nature, and ran his hand over Naruto's pectoral muscle; the flex that happened because of his touch caused a shiver to go through his body. He lifted his body from the comfort of the bed; all lean muscle and length that came from years of swimming and studying whereas Naruto's was the complete opposite. It was all muscle that had hardened with having to work in jobs requiring strength and brute force.

"Who said you seduced me? I'm pretty sure it was the other way around."

Naruto's lips pressed up on his side as he bent over the side of the bed for his underwear, a sharp nip on a purpling bruise.

"I like to think it was me who did the courting. Your idea of seduction was to glare at me whenever you could and hope that I would be able to understand what you wanted."

His tongue passed by a protruding rib and slid by his navel; his skin rippled at attention.

"Stop that. I have a meeting in an hour."

Naruto did that low chuckle deep in his throat that made Sasuke swear it was another person.

"Fine, fine, fine. Are we still doing dinner tonight?"

Sasuke's movements stopped as Naruto walked towards the kitchen. The small studio apartment wasn't very spacious but it had something Sasuke's own home didn't have and that was the sense of comfort. It was very much lived in, with every corner having its own style and personality.

Three out of the four walls were red bricks that have been there since the forties and the kitchen wall was the only thing that looked somewhat modern with its white and black decor. Everything was small and compact and Sasuke loved it. His own apartment on the other side of town was too spacious and lonely with an orange cat that had been thrust upon him by Naruto himself who claimed it would give his "sad and pathetic" home some life and color.

"We might, if nothing changes."

He hummed from the refrigerator, body bent as he dug to the back to pull out a beer and bread. Without any shame, he allowed his eyes to roam. He didn't understand why Naruto's body was so captivating but his movements were mesmerizing. He moved in a way that separated himself from everyone else.

Confident and certain, his broad shoulders were always squared which made him look bigger than he really was. Sasuke was used to that body, known all the changes it had been through since they were children and yet he still couldn't figure out his fascination with the blond.

"Hey."

Naruto looked over, midway into a chew and gulped the beer. He quirked a dark blond eyebrow and cocked his head. Sasuke was almost dressed, his pants unbuttoned and dress shirt hanging on his thin shoulders. He looked funny against the washed out orange comforter and the strewn white pillows. Sasuke beckoned him over and without so much as a word, Naruto understood. He left his food on the counter and walked over to his longtime friend.

"You're preening."

Sasuke mumbled as the man stood in front of him, his head tilted upwards to look into ocean blue eyes that were all too familiar. Naruto's hands slid through black hair and grabbed spiked ends and watched Sasuke close his eyes in delight and lean towards the touch.

"I preen because I know what I can do to you."

He placed a knee next to his thigh as the shirt slid off and laid him back. A sigh that held satisfaction came out of his mouth and it all came rushing back as his bottom lip was pulled and nipped sharply with sharp canines.

This is what he needed.

To be ravished, to be needed and to feel full with something outside of his normal lifestyle, something that wasn't expected of him and was done by his own ruling and as his pants slid out from underneath him and the blonds head lowered he couldn't help but think how content his life felt at that moment.

* * *

 _"Hey! Hey, what are you doing?"_

 _The blood was rushing to his head so he had to blink away the spots to clearly look at the owner of the voice. There was a blond little boy standing before him, watching him curiously. Sasuke hung upside down on the monkey bars at recess and had been undisturbed for the time he had been there. It seemed like his moment of solitary had come to an end._

 _At six years old, Sasuke wasn't a child of much patience, no matter how much his mother chastised him for it._

 _"I'm hanging upside down. What else does it look like I'm doing?"_

 _The blond tilted his head at the sarcasm. Sasuke knew who the kid was; they had sat him right next to his table because of their last names but Sasuke hadn't spoken to him. The large square bandages the kid wore on his cheeks had him keep his distance from him. It was something he had seen weird and didn't want to deal with. He was a new kid who had arrived late in the school year and constantly looked over at Sasuke's desk to see what they were doing in class._

" _Can you teach me how to do that?"_

 _Sasuke sighed and swung his body a little. The boys blue eyes widened in amazement and his mouth dropped just the slightest._

" _No. Learn how to do it yourself."_


	2. Invitation

"I swear Naruto, point that thing at me again."

Naruto giggled like a schoolboy as he zoomed in on one of his best friends as she leaned over some paperwork. A hair clip held her short, pink hair back, the same one he had bought her years ago that had the a little fish cake at the end; her jade colored eyes scanned with scary precision over the papers.

"Smile for me Sakura; it'll do you some good."

Her lips quirked just a little but she held a finger up at him and sighed when she heard the shuttering of the camera.

"Why are you here again? Don't you need to go take pictures of pigeons or something?"

The blond pouted at that and grumbled that the park pigeons were looking to be better company than she was right now. Her office was cold and crisp, white like any hospital office but little trinkets and pictures here and there made it more comfortable to be in.

There were pictures of her family on one side of her desk and on the other side was a photo booth picture taken back in high school of the three of them with Sasuke brooding about the fact he was in the middle and squished between the two of them.

He had the same exact picture laminated and used as a bookmark in one of his literature books and Sasuke kept it in a frame by his nightstand. There were hospital books on the shelves and a dumb pizza ornament that Naruto had brought back for her when he went away to Rome for a month.

"I have a huge gap in my classes today and there wasn't much to do. I was hoping we could do lunch but you decided paper was more important than me."

She rolled her eyes at his words and flipped the page, a noise of confirmation coming from her.

"They're not just any papers Naruto, they're a patient's records I need to look over. He's got quite the history."

Sakura rubbed her chin as she thought over any procedures that would have to be taken today. Most likely she would be going to Tsunade before hand and consulting with her before anything. Looking over to Naruto who spun around in the office chair, she chuckled and began picking up the files.

"Alright, come on. Where do you want to go eat?"

He had a large smile on him throughout the small walk it took them to walk to the intimate little bistro down the road from the hospital. They spoke about work and school, about new people in their lives and old ones that they've spoken with.

"Sai has been holed up in his apartment for the last three days and I'm getting worried."

Naruto proclaimed as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his camouflage pants and stretched his shoulders out. He adjusted his beanie when it was his turn to approach the counter and place his order; a Rotisserie Chicken and the Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower for the lady. The girl seemed flustered as he passed her his credit card and gave her a wink.

Sakura shook her head as they made their way to a table by the window, their number in hand. Naruto had one of those faces; he could get away with a lot of things because he would smooth his way out with polished gestures and mannerisms and she was sure that was why people flocked to him. He was a person that if you got to know, you would never want to let him go.

"I'm sure that girl appreciated that."

His giggle was childish, definitely not something that would have been expected from a twenty-four year old man as he rubbed his hands in a restless sort of way as he looked around the tiny place. His hair was becoming unruly so his blond bangs were plastered to the side of his face because of the beanie he wore and the tight black long sleeve shirt seemed to almost stick to him, as if the material loved his body and wanted to be as close as it could get.

"Is Sasuke coming?"

There was a gesture of acknowledgment from him at the sound of his long time friend's name. Sakura had only recently noticed that whenever the other was mentioned, there would be something different in the eyes and their body suddenly at attention.

"He said something about being late to a meeting the other day so his father is making him pay for it."

There it was again, a little something that the two of them knew but she was left out of. Sakura knew because Naruto was the easiest to read: the habit he had where the side of his lip would quirk up, how his eyes would shift to the side for a moment and how he would pass his index finger under his nose. It was all something she was way too used to but never delved into it because it wasn't strange or different; it was something classified as _them_ and them only. It was as if the two had their own little world and she was intruding.

"Sasuke was late to something? Must have been really into whatever he was doing."

He grinned that grin that had had her sometimes wonder if she could fall in love with him just to have that directed to her every day. Two steaming plates were placed between the two of them and a basket of soft bread accompanied it. The waitress looked at Naruto for a moment and tittered away when he smiled at her. All Sakura could do was roll her eyes and dig into her food.

"What? You know I only have eyes for you."

Naruto batted his eyes at one of his oldest friend and even older crush and was glad to have gotten a smile from her.

"You are a dangerous human being Naruto and the worst thing is you know it."

He shrugged, neither denying or agreeing, and began on his own plate. Small talk was exchanged concerning Sakura's internship or Naruto's schooling and any oncoming projects either of them have.

"How has Jiraya been? Have you heard from him lately?"

Naruto's Godfather was always an interesting character to talk to and about. He was a novelist that traveled, saying he gathered "research" when in reality he was just enjoying life at his mature age. Tsunade and him had known each other since their schooling days and had an interesting relationship when it came to each other.

"He's over in Hawaii right now. He's been sending me pictures," He motioned to his chest and made grabby hands, "of the natives there."

He sniggered and dipped a piece of the bread on his sauce. Their surroundings seemed to pick up now that it was around lunchtime, the tables filling up quickly and more servers running around. They spoke about Sasuke's success with the company and how more and more responsibility was being thrust upon him.

The Uchiha Corporation had quickly risen and had run over hundreds of small businesses in a matter of months and was rapidly spreading oversees. They specialized in technology that develops and manufactures advanced weapons and defense technologies. The latest rumor on the street was that they were dabbling in robotic law enforcer, which was definitely something that sounded like it came out of one of those science fiction movies, but the press had been on them like vultures on a carcass trying to find out if there was any truth in it at all.

Itachi had been wedded off to a woman of a competing company that had been on of the few to be head to head with the Uchiha's and it seemed that they were genuinely interested in each other aside from the fact that it had been an arranged marriage just for the sole reason of their companies. They were expecting their first child in a couple of weeks and it meant that Sasuke had much more work to do and that much more to deal with.

"Which reminds me, Hinata is doing a dinner over at her place tonight. She told me to extend the invitation to you specifically."

She lifted her eyes from her plate for a moment to see Naruto not react to the news. Everyone and their mother knew about Hinata's enormous infatuation with the blond ever since she first laid eyes on him in their preschool days but he never acknowledged it. She knows he cares for her like he does for all his close friends but her advances were never acknowledged but that didn't stop her from looking at him with complete adoration.

"I'll tell Sasuke about it."

And there it was. Sakura shook her head and patted the napkin against her lip.

"Try to be there tonight Naruto, even if Sasuke can't make it."

He looked at her funny, like the thought of Sasuke not going would put him off even though it has very well happened before.

"I'll go Sakura, don't worry about it."

* * *

Sasuke panted, loud, quick and short puffs of air that had his heart beating what felt like hundreds of miles per minute. He could feel the grin on his neck, all teeth and tongue skimming his tendon and moistening the side of his neck. They were late to the dinner, that much he knew, but Naruto had messaged him earlier saying something about a group dinner at the Hyuuga household and he had arrived at Naruto's apartment, pocketing his spare key and checking his email to be suddenly grabbed and splayed on the island that separated the kitchen and the bedroom.

His phone had rung six times and Naruto's had rung close to thirteen but the blond had no notion of releasing him from his hold anytime soon.

"Na...Nar...damn it."

His back arched deliciously as there was a twist inside of him and his hips violently hit the marble counter. Naruto chuckled, grabbing a fist full of the spikey hair and pulling Sasuke's head towards him so that he could grab the Uchiha's bottom lip and practically inhale him in. A recognizable ringtone pierced the heavy air again, a high-pitched Japanese girl saying random phrases that had been assigned to Sakura after she became obsessed with some Japanese Pop band. Naruto's hips slowed for a moment, his hand loosened until Sasuke placed a hand behind the blonds head and urged him to finish the job, to not leave him there strung out and hazy.

Without any warning, he was flipped onto his back and holding on for dear life to the other body on him lest he fall and tumble onto the bed four feet below him. His legs were hoisted over Naruto's shoulders and with each thrust his knees almost touched his face. There was a whimper stuck in his throat, something between pleasure and wanting release. He grabbed at the counter when he felt the sweet bliss inside him, the thing that made his back bow and cry out. His body drooped in exemption and satisfaction, his senses so muffled that he didn't care about the white globs on his body and chin or the fact that he was still being pushed into. All he could see was glistening sweat and furrowed brows.

"Come on, come on."

Naruto grunted and ran his hand through the black hair he had held on to so many times before. Sasuke closed his eyes in solace, reveling in the feel of being enjoyed and taken care off. Sasuke lifted his hands to run them over the blond's sides and grab at his bottom and help push him over the edge. Naruto let out a stream of curses against the Uchihas swollen lip and kissed him with renewed reverence. Sasuke's knees creaked from their position and his back was rubbed raw from the counter but he felt completely satisfied at the moment and didn't mind the annoyance he knew his body would later feel.

"Sakura's going to kill you."

Sasuke mumbled, all energy seeming like it was seeped out of him and he was content in staying just where he was the whole night. Naruto seemed to regain his energy all too quickly, something that still flabbergasted Sasuke on how he did it, as he led him to the bathroom.

"Nah. I'll be showing up with your pretty face, she won't even remember me once she has you in her eye sight."

* * *

 _"Hey Sasuke! Hey, wait up!"_

 _At seven, he still held his brothers hand. He had one hand holding his older brother's and the other on the strap of his school bag. Naruto ran towards them, scarred cheeks pulled in a grin and shirt and pants well worn. His book bag was the same from last years and Sasuke was sure that he didn't have any other shoes except the obnoxious tattered orange ones he wore._

 _And yet, he could still smile like the sun bursts out of his ass._

 _"Hello Naruto, it's nice to see you again."_

 _Itachi's mellow voice rang from above and Sasuke looked up at him. Itachi smiled at the blond, a brotherly smile that he usually used when he spoke to Sasuke._

 _"Hey Itachi! Where've you been?"_

 _Adjusting the straps of his book bag, the two carried on a conversation as if they were old friends. Itachi entertained him by doing this; Sasuke knew that without having it being said. They both knew that Naruto was an orphan who lived in a foster home, his parents a conversation that was never broached or the scars on his face that had healed fine in the year he's had them._

 _Naruto walked with them to school, chattering away about homework and his classes, which were the same as Sasuke and Itachi had heard most of the things the blond said from his little brother, but he nodded and hummed at the right moments, as if it was the first time hearing it. The school appeared soon, parents walking their children to the gates and friends ambled around seeing as the bell hadn't rung yet._

 _"Before I forget, our mother told me to extend an invitation to join us for lunch on Saturday, that is, if you aren't to busy out on your adventures."_

 _Itachi had said it with a warm smile but had tightened his grip on his little brother's hand because he knew Sasuke all to well. He hadn't known about the news because Itachi had mentioned it to their mother one day about Sasuke's new one-sided friendship and had wanted to give them a push in the right direction. Naruto, small for his age and almost appeared like a wild child, seemed shocked for a moment as his mind tried to figure out what had just been said. He looked like he was going to answer, mouth dropped and body moving forward as if he was going to answer with his whole being, and stopped suddenly and moved his gaze towards Sasuke._

 _Itachi stared with amusement at the small interaction. Naruto was all wide-eyed and flushed as he stared at Sasuke while Sasuke held his just a tad higher and a small pout on his lips. He almost looked like he was asking Sasuke for permission before saying anything._

 _"It would be rude to turn down an invitation."_

 _Sasuke mumbled, not looking at Naruto as he said so. The change was immediate on the kids face: all smiles and bright eyes. He laughed and turned his gaze towards Itachi who just looked at the two with a fond expression._


	3. Proposition

Sakura didn't necessarily kill him, she couldn't because she would miss him too much but his right ear did still ache from her pulling him inside. The glare being sent his way from across the room could almost rival Sasuke except Sakura's packed more heat and hatred and less gloom and doom but he was still in one piece so he called that a win. They had arrived short of being two hours late but with liquor in hand and a large plate of homemade nachos, they tried to pacify the beast. Although that didn't quite satisfy her, the moment she laid eyes on Sasuke his ear had been released in favor of his companion.

Hinata, on the other hand, was ecstatic to see the blond and turned beet red when he hugged her hello.

"Hey! Everyone's here!"

Cheers erupted from the living room as Naruto yelled out. Friends, new and old, were scattered around but seemed to migrate towards him, something Sasuke always found fascinating to watch. As he stayed a few feet back with Sakura by his side, he watched as Kiba wrapped an arm around the blonds neck and Lee grab his other arm, rapid words being shot at him in all his excitement. Naruto patted Gaara's shoulder and somehow gave everyone around him a little bit of attention.

Hinata stood in front of him while looking at him like he hung the moon and it didn't help that he continuously made her feel included, whether it was a graze of his fingers on her pale arms or laughing at whatever she said that he found worthy of his laughter.

"I know how you feel about these social gatherings but please try not to look like you just got a whiff of dog shit."

He turned to his side and stared at the pink haired woman next to him. She held a fruity green colored drink in her hand and a simple salmon colored dress with a green belt around her waist. Sakura had grown considerably throughout the time they had known each other.

She had gone from endlessly following after him in the playground and mooning over him to becoming head of her family's pharmaceutical company while working in getting her Doctorate's in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics. Her adoration for him had reduced considerably and even though he could sometimes see the glint in her eyes every now and then, she had moved on to look at Naruto with more adoration and care and he was completely fine with that.

Naruto deserved all the love he could get and Sasuke didn't mind stepping back and allowing him to receive all of it.

"I'm fine, it's just interesting to watch how no matter where he goes, people flock to him as if he was some magical being."

Sakura hummed in agreement and took a sip from her glass, eyes never moving from the commotion just a couple of feet away from them. Naruto was waving his arms around his head, too into his story to really pay attention to the amused smiles of their friends.

"Uchiha, you finally made it."

On his other side, Hinata's cousin seemed to almost materialize out of thin air. Neji Hyuuga stood about his height, with waist long brown hair that seemed to have just been washed and a lean built from years of kendo. A silent rivalry had hung above them for years, a healthy one really, seeing as they pushed each other to be the best they could be. It also caused them to become good business partners, which has benefited both companies.

"There were some minor complications on the way here."

His eerie pearl colored eyes looked at him for a moment, assessing his words, and turned back to Naruto who was boisterously laughing at Kiba trying to mimic something that looked close to dancing but he wasn't quite sure.

"Hope everything was resolved with efficiency."

There was something in Neji's smirk that he didn't like and it made him want to raise his hackles if he had any. The man had keen eyes and could read people in a way that would make anyone's nerves quiver.

"Is that not how I handle any obstacle?"

Neji tilted his head, a gesture of confirmation and continued looking at the small group before clicking his tongue and patting Sasuke in the back.

"Come on, let's get a beer or two in you."

That he could agree with. The night went on with chatter and drinks and stories. Sai talked about his latest painting that had caught the eye of a professor of his whom had begun talking prices. Ino, gorgeous as always, talked about her floral arrangements for a wedding happening soon. Kiba boasted about his family's animal shelter and how many of the dogs were getting adopted thanks to Naruto's pictures and his advertising.

Sasuke sat on the edge of the couch and swirled the beer in it's bottle, the moisture of it wetting his hand and the salt around the mouth of the bottle made the liquid fizz even more against his lips. Naruto looked at each and every one of his friends with a smile but it somehow didn't reach his eyes. He nodded when expected and responded when talked to but his whole body wasn't in it and it bothered Sasuke for some reason.

"Dinners ready!"

Hinata's voice rang from the kitchen where some of the girls and Lee had been helping out. He stretched his arm out and held the blond next to him at his seat which earned him a confused expression. Everyone piled out of the living room, excitement in the air knowing they were finally going to be able to put food in their stomachs. Once they all left, Sasuke placed his beer on the coaster on the glass table and looked over to Naruto who was still looking at him weird.

"What's wrong?"

If possible, his brow furrowed even more.

"What are you talking about?"

"You looked like someone slaughtered your dog in front of you and made you watch it."

Naruto waved his hand in the air, as if waving those words away but one look from Sasuke had him sighing and bowing his head.

"What am I doing with my life Sasuke? Sai got acknowledged, which I'm happy for him, I really am because he totally deserves it, but I haven't gotten anywhere with my sketches or my photos. I'm working at Kiba's rescue to make rent for fucks sake."

He ran a hand through his hair, the already unruly strands looking more disheveled then before. Sasuke took a good look at him, really good before allowing a small breath to escape through his nose and closed his eyes. In the years they had known each other, Sasuke could not think of one instance when Naruto held any malice towards someone. He wasn't angry that his friends were advancing with their lives; what was truly bothering him was the fact that he himself wasn't catching up to them. Naruto looked up suddenly when he felt long fingers on the back of his head to see Sasuke looking at him with cool dexterity that only the Uchiha could pull off.

"Are you happy?"

Naruto's face almost seemed to take offense at the question.

"Of course I'm happy you bastard. I'm just saying that at twenty-four, I was hoping I would be doing something more than where I am right now."

He got to his feet, Sasuke's hand sliding off of him. Naruto rubbed the back of his head in his frustration, agitated now by the thoughts in his head. He had always known that photography was his passion, sure he dabbled in drawing and he had a couple of notebooks filled with some sketches but he preferred the weight of a camera in his hand rather than one of a pencil. In the world of photography, it didn't exactly pay rent and any other necessities unless there was a big name behind that camera so he was having just a bit of trouble finding a job that catered to his interests.

"Hey you two, hurry up, we're all waiting for you."

The two turned their eyes over to Sakura who stood by the arch that led to the dining room. Naruto put up his front for her, a sweet smile and an apologetic expression as he made his way towards her.

"Sorry Sakura, we were just talking about something."

Sasuke followed close behind, never leaving the blonds side as they took their places at the table. Throughout the dinner, there was something Sasuke seemed to realize in the midst of calmly eating the pork roast in front of him and hearing Naruto talk about what he did to convince people to adopt more and stop by the shelter. Listening in to the conversation, he made note to call his brother whenever he had a moment alone.

* * *

"The meeting with the board is in ten minutes, Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke lowered his cell phone from his ear to nod at his secretary. He waited for her to close the door behind her before he placed his phone back to his ear only to hear a deep, throaty chuckle.

 _"I still can't get over the whole Mr. Uchiha thing."_

He rolled his eyes as he connected his Bluetooth and pocketed the phone so that his hands were free to grab the files on his desk.

"I despise it. It makes me feel as if I was my father."

There was loud barking on the other end and Naruto yelling to Kiba about a dog that had escaped from its pen and was now running around the pool area.

 _"I think it's hilarious. What if I started calling you that? 'Oh Mr. Uchiha! Harder, harder!'"_

Sasuke almost choked on the coffee he had begun to drink as Naruto started making moaning noises. While Naruto laughed loudly, Sasuke could feel his face heating up and he knew it had nothing to do with the steam rising from his cup.

"Damn you, you idiot. Don't ever do that again or I will see to your death personally."

His laughter didn't ebb, if possible, it rose higher and he began to wheeze due to the lack of air. Sasuke could hear Kiba questioning what was going on with him and there was some scuffle before Naruto seemed to be gathering himself.

 _"Oh God. I just imagined your face and I couldn't hold it in anymore. How red are you right now?"_

Opening the wooden door, he motioned for Megumi to go first as they moved through the hallways towards the meeting room.

"I'm hanging up on you now."

Sasuke pressed the button to end the call, not bothering with goodbyes because the idiot deserved it, and upon entering the room was met with six similar pair of eyes. Near and distant relatives sat around the rectangular wooden table, his father at the head of it, flanked by two of Sasuke's older cousins. The board for Uchiha Corporation was made of only those of the Uchiha family beginning with Shisui and Obito at the very beginning of the table at the table with Inabi, Yashiro and Tekka. Fugaku oversaw the meeting and then would relay what was said to Madara, the founder of the company.

"Thank you for joining us Sasuke, wouldn't want a repeat of last time now would we?"

His father's voice was cold as always. It wasn't anything new to him, he was all too used to it but without his brother there to give him understanding looks, Sasuke felt like he had been thrown into a shark infested tank. Shisui was the only friendly face amongst them, a smile of encouragement was aimed towards him as Sasuke walked towards Fugaku.

He placed the files and his cup where his father had been occupying and took the seat at the head at the table. All attention was centered on him until the large screen of the television flickered on to show a presentation titled "Uchiha Corp. Expands to Europe."

"With my brother unable to attend todays meeting, I will be the one to lead you all into our latest project."

Directing their attention to the next slide, Sasuke went into the speech he had gone over with Itachi the past week. He spoke about the pros and cons about what this would bring for them, words and movements practiced a million times and ingrained in his mind. It hadn't taken him long to finish, no more than ten minutes, but he had felt better when he had seen some heads nodding to what he said.

"Overall gentlemen, expanding ourselves would not only increase our value tenfold but it gets us closer in making our presence known in the West."

They murmured amongst themselves, about whether it was time to take the next step or the financial costs that it would bring. It had been something that Sasuke had been well prepared for and had the confidence to take any questions sent his way.

"When will you be taking this plan into action?"

Taking a seat at the head of the table, he moved his attention over to Obito whom sat to his right.

"As soon as my niece is born, Itachi will be taking a couple of personal days to tend to his wife and child and then we'll begin with making a few calls with a couple of connections we have over in Switzerland."

"Has this gone through accounting? Have they checked out how much this is going to cost us?"

Sasuke motioned for his secretary to bring the files she had in hand and passed them out to each member of the board.

"Inside you will find written testimonies of each department and the data we have collected shows with a 95% contiguity on how we'll do the first two years. We are a company that specialize in advanced weaponry and defense technologies, money is of no problem."

They chuckled and nodded and Sasuke knew he had won them over the second coal colored eyes scanned through the pages and looked smug at the numbers.

"How will we be promoting this? Last I heard, Fujioma was sent over to Brazil for some oiling company."

Fujioma Miyamoto had been brought in to Uchiha Corp. about ten years ago due to his outstanding reputation for working as a Public Relations and having worked with some big names. It hadn't taken long to get him to sign over to them and handle everything that dealt with getting their name out there and bringing in shareholders like flies on honey. Once his contract had been over, however, he had respectfully declined in renewing his contract and had moved to another company in South America.

"I'm working on it. I was speaking to a close acquaintance about his work the other day and he happened to mention that he had just gotten out of a project and was ready to take on a new one. I'll have him set up his portfolio and his resume and I will be messaging you all as soon as possible to see whether you all agree having him work for us."

Waiting for any other question and seeing none come, he thanked them all for their time and passed his things over to his secretary.

"Good job Sasuke. You did very well."

Obito patted his back and shook his hand. As most left the room, the only ones who stayed behind were Shisui and his father.

"Our little Sasuke is all grown up!"

Placing his arm around Sasuke's neck, Shisui brought the taller man down just to his stature. Even though he was annoyed at the manhandling, he was used to such things when it came to his older cousin.

"Let him go Shisui, you two are no longer children so act like it."

Fugaku looked at the two of them with disapproving eyes. He made no comment on his son's presentation nor went to offer any criticism. All he did was stare at him with cold, unyielding eyes.

"You and your brother never mentioned this person for the PR slot. Why didn't you mention it to me before hand?"

Sasuke righted himself and adjusted his tie.

"It was a last minute thing. I had spoken to Itachi about it just yesterday after I had left from a dinner I was attending. He agreed when I mentioned it to him so I thought I might as well tell you at the meeting."

Fugaku seemed less hostile now knowing his eldest son had had a say in it.

"I hope you know what you are doing Sasuke. Think twice before making any decision, lest it be too demanding."

He took one more look at the two before taking his leave. The second he stepped out of the room, Shisui released a long, belated breath and adjusted his collar.

"Jeez, you'd think the guy would have loosened up after retiring early."

Sasuke gave a shallow chuckle and grabbed his phone that was currently vibrating in his pocket.

"Maybe he would have if Itachi had not decided to give me 40% of the company the moment he stepped in has CEO."

He skimmed quickly through the text messages, most of them from Naruto and a couple of them from Itachi asking how the meeting went and a picture asking which crib he liked more. That brought a true smile to his face and made quick of responding back to his brother first.

"Hey, ask Itachi if he wants to meet us later for lunch, say around 2? Let me know."

Shisui motioned to his phone as he took the opposite direction from where Sasuke was heading. Making his way back to his office, he thumbed through the ramblings that Naruto had messaged him about having to do with a professor this semester and how unfair the man was when it came to grading his photos.

 _'Are you busy?'_

 _'I just got out of class, heading out to_

 _lunch with Sai and Kiba. Want to join?'_

Pressing the call button, he sat at his chair and didn't have to wait no longer than two rings before the blonds voice greeted him.

"I have a proposition for you so listen up."

* * *

 _At eight years old, Sasuke had received his first kiss. It had happened when it had been lunchtime and he and Naruto had been arguing about their lunches. Sasuke's mom always prepared him a bento along with a juice box and cookies for dessert while Naruto had to get the school lunches, which never seemed to fill him up. Naruto was trying to convince Sasuke that trading him the soup for the cookies would be a great trade because Sasuke hardly ever ate the cookies. Before Sasuke could bring their verbal fight into a physical one he saw from over Naruto's shoulders Sakura making her way towards them with a bunch of their classmates behind her._

 _Sakura had her head bowed and her hands intertwined with each other. She appeared nervous but determined and she came to stop right in front of Sasuke. Next to him, Naruto had a blush that rivaled Sakura's own flushed face and he seemed excited to be even near her. He had acquired a huge crush on her ever since he had laid eyes on her but she tried to avoid him as much as possible, something that never bothered him and made him try harder for her to notice him._

 _"Uh… h-hi Sasuke. I-I just wanted to, um," She took a huge intake of breath and looked around her, to all their classmates peering and snickering and waiting to see what was going to happen. Taking in a deep breath again, she released it slowly and balled her hands into fists and with a new found determination locked eyes with the confused Uchiha and said, "I really, really like you Sasuke!"_

 _With that, she leaned in and pecked him on the lips. All the kids around cheered and made noises while some laughed or made throwing up noises. Sakura seemed proud of herself and grinned at Sasuke who still looked confused until he finally realized what had happened._

 _"Well I don't like you and I especially don't like girls who do things to show off in front of their friends."_

 _The noises their classmates had been doing suddenly halted into a silence after Sasuke's malicious words. For just a moment, the air around them was still as Sasuke's gaze was unrelenting and stared her down until Sakura's green eyes looked away, tears falling at the sides. Ino stepped up and wrapped her arms around Sakura and began to turn her away but not before glaring at Sasuke._

 _"Geez, what's your problem Sasuke? She was just confessing to you!"_

 _Ino took Sakura away after that, all the other kids following after them when the playful atmosphere was no longer there. Sasuke looked after their retreating forms before turning back to his lunch._

 _"No way."_

 _Turning to Naruto who looked awestruck and with an uncaring tone, Sasuke asked him what he was mumbling on about._

 _"You just got kissed by Sakura. I wish I had gotten kissed by her."_

 _Sasuke wasn't sure what was the big deal about a stupid kiss but upon seeing the crestfallen expression on the blonds face Sasuke didn't think twice about it before planting his own lips on Naruto's._

 _Naruto released hot air from his nose out of surprise and his eyes widen when Sasuke leaned back and wiped his mouth._

 _"There, now you kissed her too."_


	4. Trepidation

Hello! Really quick note:

The first section, before it breaks off into another scene, was inspired by a classical song titled Le Onde by Ludvico Einaudi. It's a piano piece that is absolutely beautiful. I highly suggest listening to it while reading this, you obviously do not need to, but I thought it really fit with the tone of the story. Thank you for reading! :)

* * *

"So have you thought about whether you want to take the position or not?"

Naruto's blue eyes flickered over to Sasuke's form over by the bed before looking down to his sketchbook once more. Sketching the man was one of his favorite things whenever he couldn't think of anything to draw seeing that Sasuke wasn't one to move much, especially when he knew Naruto had chosen him for inspiration.

"Not really. I mean, working with your father and your family doesn't sound like too much fun."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, not that the blond could see from his position on the old recliner by the window, and flicked through the magazine he had brought with him. It had been one of those odd days that had begun with Shisui calling him early in morning just as he had gotten up to let him know Itachi had stopped by and given him the day off. Although it was sudden and his older brother hadn't told him about this before, Sasuke threw on his running clothes and had done a couple of laps around his neighborhood before returning to his apartment and taking a brisk shower.

With his free time he passed by his brother's house to drop off some vegetables from his personal garden he had in his balcony. Hana greeted him with a wide smile and a strong hug. He still wasn't used to the lack of personal space she gave him that most did but it was a thing he was slowly getting used to. They had spoken only for a while as she gave him an update on the latest news of the soon to be newest Uchiha family member. Hana rubbed her protruding stomach and laughed at the pink hue that appeared on his cheeks when she asked him if he was excited to be an uncle.

After leaving he had called Naruto to see what he was doing and happened to mention that he didn't have to be at the rescue until five. So with that being said, Sasuke went and picked up lunch from the bistro they always ate at and walked in on the blond staring at an empty canvas. Frustrated that he couldn't come up with something, he asked Sasuke to do whatever he wanted and allow him to sketch him to see if anything came to his mind.

"You wouldn't be working for my father idiot, you'd be working alongside Itachi and myself and you would have to deal with Shisui every now and then."

Naruto grunted to show he had listened to him but didn't respond back. There was something not right in the drawing but he just couldn't seem to pinpoint it. Looking up to where Sasuke was he took in the nonchalant pose and the upturned spikes on the back of his head and realized something.

"Take your clothes off."

Stopping the page he was turning mid way, he looked over his shoulder and raised a thin eyebrow.

"Not that I mind but why?"

Placing the black sketchbook on the small table he had to his right, Naruto stood and walked the few feet it took to place his knee on the bed and grab Sasuke's knee.

"Your clothes are in the way and it throws off the mood of what I was drawing, so come on."

Unbuttoning the button of his jeans, Sasuke laid still as Naruto lowered his pants and underwear all in one go and threw them on the other side of the bed. The dark blue Henley was taken off slower than his pants and had been placed by the pillow right by his head. Tilting his head, Naruto studied the man beneath him. He was pliant and calm with arms open and bending so that his hands were almost touching his head. Sasuke stared back without wavering his gaze even as he felt a hand softly graze over his pectoral and trace just where his ribs rubbed against his skin whenever he exhaled.

"Do you," Naruto cleared his throat when his voice came out a little too rough, "uh, do you want to stay like this or go back on your stomach?"

Sasuke gave a small shrug, or what would classify as a shrug what with his arms bent in the way they were.

"Will this position suit the mood you were looking for?"

Naruto nodded but his fingers drummed against the heated flesh of Sasuke's hip in thought.

"It's going to take an hour or two though so maybe if I do this," bringing the other pillow under Sasuke's head while adjusting the one with the shirt over it to be near his hand, "you won't get so uncomfortable."

Pushing his body back, he skimmed his hands down the smooth thighs he's touched hundreds of time before and opened them just a tad so that his right knee was slightly arched while the other laid firmly on the bed. His index finger continuously tapped Sasuke's right calve as he looked around the small bed before grabbing one edge of the comforter and laying it over his right hip just so that there was only a hint of his lower extremities showing.

"I think we got it."

Naruto backed away slowly, as if he was moving away from a startled animal, and took his place on the recliner and grabbed the sketchbook, flipping to a new page. He dug from one of the sides of the chair a small remote and pressed a button so that from the kitchen the smooth sound of pianos keys took over the apartment. Under the rays of warm sun that substituted as his light, his hand moved over the page and the only noises heard were the scratching of the pencil and the soft melody coming from the sound system.

There were moments when Sasuke would twitch but he would instantly stop and take a deep breath before calming again. It only took him a few minutes to outline the shape of his body that mostly needed long lines and curved angles here and there before he delved into shading in the shadows so that he would know for later on where to focus. For the better part of the next hour he contoured and erased and rubbed his fingers on certain areas so that the pencil lines would smudge just where they needed to be.

Shaking his hand when he could feel the tell tale sign of a cramp beginning to form, he mumbled quietly that he was almost finishing. Once he was finished with the body, just to the right of the paper, he sketched out Sasuke's face and neck in more detail and in a closer perspective. When he rubbed his ring finger on the hair and erased any of the smudges that had escaped through the lines, he placed the book at arms length and was satisfied with the end result.

"Alright, we're finished. Come here and look at it."

It took Sasuke a moment before bringing his body up into a sitting position after being in the same position for so long. Stretching his arms as he stood up, he stood behind the chair and leaned on the back to look over Naruto's shoulder.

He had always found it eerie to see himself drawn out and placed on paper and to be seen from someone else's perspective, even if he was very well acquainted with the artist. His own two, black eyes stared back at him with his bangs lying on his cheeks and his lips were meant to be in a neutral position but were downturned to seem like the beginning of a frown. Naruto had captured the angles well when it came to his body, all the ups and downs and curves and parts that were missing lighting.

"It's nice."

Naruto patted his elbow without removing his eyes from the page.

"You did most of the work, I just copied what you were doing."

Placing the notebook in its stand he stood and brought Sasuke to sit back on the edge of the bed as he kneeled between his legs. Tanned arms slid against pale thighs and scratchy, thin hair only to come to lock around his waist.

"Working as PR would be great and would put that associate I got to use but I'll need to _really_ think about it. I know you said your dad doesn't work there anymore but I know from the amount of times you've complained about it to me that he still lurks around and you know how your dad feels about me."

Sasuke ran his hand through blond hair, hair that never seemed to be tamed and held it in his grip, lessening it when Naruto flinched.

"Think about it faster then. I need to know with time because if you don't take the job I need to go and scout and that's just more needless work for me when we both know you're qualified enough for the job."

Naruto smiled that blinding smile that sometimes annoyed Sasuke at how bright it was. There was a mischievous look those blue eyes at the same time and it made him become cautious at what the blond might do next.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Sasuke. You offered me this because I told you I was worried where I was heading the other day, right?"

Sasuke scoffed because yes, it had been because of that but he wasn't going to let Naruto know that, especially when he was looking like the cat that ate the canary.

"Can we stop talking about my family and work when I'm naked on your bed with your face so close to my dick? Anyways I thought models were supposed to get paid for their posing. Where's my reward?"

Chuckling at that, Naruto planted his lips on Sasuke's own and in-between kisses he said in a singsong voice, "You like me. You like me."

Pulling the blond on him, Sasuke bit Naruto's lips hard with intention and growled out, "I swear if you don't shut up, you're going to get a serious case of blue balls."

Even though the threat was laid with purpose, Naruto laughed out loud and pecked Sasuke's lips. He laughed even louder when Sasuke clamped on to him like an octopus would do to its prey and tried to wrestle him to turn over on his back. When Sasuke had succeeded, only because the other was laughing too much to fight back, he grabbed onto the obnoxious orange t-shirt the blond insisted on constantly wearing and taking half of it off before latching on to the only exposed nipple.

The blond below him arched into it and his laughter was cut short.

"Jeez, warn a guy."

He wasn't complaining though, Sasuke could tell by the pressure of fingers digging into his hips. The sun behind them warmed his back but even with the warmth, his hands remained cold as they pushed Naruto's arms over his head and kept them where they wouldn't be able to touch him.

"You gonna drag this out?"

Naruto panted out as he bucked. He grinned though as Sasuke scowled at his impatience but his expression quickly changed when their bodies were aligned in all the right ways.

"I have the day off so yes, we're dragging this out as long as we can."

The malicious grin that appeared on Sasuke's face made Naruto actually worry a little bit about his life at that moment.

"Stop hissing, you sound like a pissed off cat."

Sasuke grabbed the bobbing head that was in between his thighs and lowered it even more, deciding that he wasn't being taken in deep enough. Naruto yelled out as he chocked just a bit before he fought against the hand on his head.

"Bastard."

Naruto wiped the saliva that dribbled down his lip. He lay back down after composing himself and hoisted Sasuke's legs over his shoulders so that they rested against his back. It took a lot for him not to lift his back off the orange comforter and release the air between his teeth once he felt the overwhelming heat of an eager mouth. Somewhere in the tiny loft an all too familiar song rang through the piano music that had never ceased to play from the small stereo in the kitchen. That all too familiar ringtone made Sasuke groan and it had most definitely not been of pleasure.

"Get off, I need to answer that."

Weakly shoving Naruto's face away, the blond had pulled away with an obscene pop and wet, reddened lips.

"Did you see where my pants went?"

As Sasuke stood, achingly so, Naruto moved over to the spot he had been on and stretched his limbs out.

"It's somewhere around here."

Being no use at all, Sasuke played it by ear until the phone had stopped ringing to only begin ringing again. Once he had strewn himself over the bed and had blindly felt the floor for the contraption until his fingers he met with it, halfway out of his pant pocket.

"Father."

Naruto turned to look at the back of Sasuke's head at the cold tone. Without truly realizing what he was doing, his toes skimmed the soft, pale skin of Sasuke's ankle over and over.

"No, Itachi had given me the day off…am I truly needed for such a trivial tas- Yes father, yes I understand."

The more each second passed, the more a scowl seemed to permanently etch itself on his face. The second the phone call ended, a long sigh escaped from his lips and nimble fingers massaged the bridge of his nose.

"My father called me in, says he needs my help with the papers of another company. I swear the man enjoys to see me suffer."

He took pleasure of feeling the warm body that slid on top of him and the hand that wound itself around his cheek.

"You know, you could always say no."

Pliant lips kissed down the right side of his face as the hand moved from his cheek to his bangs, removing the mussed hair to better work the new expanse of skin.

"Not after all Itachi has done for me. I rather keep the old fool satiated until we can remove him from power all at once."

Removing himself from Sasuke's back and plopping on over to his left, Naruto looked up at him with big, blue eyes and the smallest of smiles.

"I'll entertain myself then until I have to leave for work. Let's go out for dinner tonight eh? Lee found a new curry place a couple of minutes from his place, we could stop by and say hi on the way there."

Looking down at him, Sasuke could tell that the blond wasn't all too happy at that moment. It was something that Sasuke had seen all too many times on his friends face, most of them had been because of _him_ and that didn't sit well with him. Lowering himself just enough to reach towards the other next to him, he captured chapped lips that he had gotten to know all to well since his teen years and didn't release them until he heard a pleased hum come from him.

"I'll call you if anything comes up. Now let me borrow some of your clothes, I don't have enough time to go back to my apartment and redress."

With that, Sasuke left quickly out the door and into the world.

* * *

"Are those new?"

He could his right eye twitch at the voice of his cousin. Shisui had given him a once over the second he walked into his view and gave him a smirk as if he could read every little dirty secret Sasuke had.

"It's laundry day."

Shisui scoffed and got close to his little cousin and tried to see if he smelled off. Only getting a good sniff before Sasuke was batting his hands over his face, Shisui scrunched his nose and looked at him questioningly.

"Why do you smell like a child's crayon box?"

Sasuke held the door open for Shisui to pass through before sighing and grabbing the folders his secretary passed to him.

"First of all, it's linseed oil, not some child's school box. Second of all, what does it matter to you on how I smell like?"

Shisui's grin didn't falter whatsoever, all to used to Sasuke's attitude and the punches it could throw even if he didn't mean to. He threw his hands up in the air in surrender and patted Sasuke's back before stopping just in front of one of the couple of meeting rooms the building had.

"Fine, don't tell me where you've been. I'll find out one way or another. Now go on and shine bright for Uncle."

Cackling as he left, Sasuke shook his head at his cousin's ridiculous antics. He had always been like that, ever since they were younger. It was as if he had made it his life's mission to endlessly tease him, one way or another.

Opening the door, Sasuke stopped short as he took a step in realizing his father wasn't alone. Next to him, chatting about pleasantries and stopping once he had made his presence known, was a woman around his age or possibly older with hair dark as his eyes and pale just like his own skin. Her grey eyes were steely and reserved and her posture showed years of training as she sat on the chair as stiff as a rod.

Fugaku looked towards his youngest son, disapproval clearly in his eyes at his apparel and suddenly Sasuke thought that the trip to his apartment would have been worth being late. The clothes he had borrowed from Naruto had been a gift he had given to the blond just about a year ago; it had been a pricy mint green long-sleeved shirt and charcoal colored slacks that the blond had never worn, saying that there hadn't been a time that called for him to wear something so fancy. The only thing that made it clear that it wasn't his was that it was a size too big. While they were both roughly the same height, Naruto was bulkier and had a thick waistline that he had toned due to the sheer amount of physical labor he had done during the end of their high school years and all through college.

So the slacks he currently wore weren't fitted to his slimmer body and the sleeves verged on slipping over his fingers but he had hoped it would have been something that would have been overlooked.

The woman stood and bowed, Sasuke returning one as he looked towards his father for an introduction, or better yet, an explanation.

"Sasuke, it's about time. This is Emily Yakamura, of Yakamura Enterprises. She has personally reached out to us and has taken an interest in investing in Uchiha Corporation."

Sasuke nodded slowly, wondering why he was hearing this at all.

"She has asked for you personally and would like for the two of you to discuss the future plans you brought to the meeting last week over dinner."

For a split second, his breath hitched but his face remained the same neutral expression he used around potential clients/investors. There was something dangerous niggling in the back of his mind, that maybe he should take whatever was to come with a grain of salt and that he should definitely question Itachi on what the hell he was doing entertaining a guest when that was Shisui's job-

Dinner.

It clicked in his head as if someone had just turned on the light. Dinner plans that involved a certain blond and curry and if Sasuke didn't fight it too much then maybe Lee would have joined them. One look on his fathers face caused an internal flinch.

"Of course, it would be my pleasure. Let me drop off these files and we'll be on our way."

Leaving the room, the heavy feeling in his stomach didn't at all leave him that day.

* * *

 _At nine years old, Naruto had gotten into his first fight. The ones in his foster home didn't count because those kids didn't have anything better to do and because he didn't look like the rest of them due to his bright hair and blue eyes; they deemed him to be easy prey. He had shown them though that even though he was small he wasn't one to be picked on._

 _No, the first fight he actually counts is when a new kid had messed with Sasuke. The girl was tall, taller than all of the other girls in their grade and had blonde hair with strands that came out of her two pigtails. She looked scary to say the least but Iruka had welcomed her into his class and had her sit right next to Choji. Just like every girl in their school, the new girls eyes had landed on Sasuke and never seemed to leave. She trailed after him and sometimes even tried to touch him and not even Sasuke's cold glare or even colder words seemed to faze her. It had gone on like that for the next month or so and Naruto could feel the very little patience he had begin to dwindle rapidly._

 _Soon their walks to the school had been interrupted by the source of his impatience. She somehow learned their route and blabbered on about whatever crossed her mind the entire way there. Now Sasuke had never been very expressive and had gotten even less talkative the older he got but now that there was a new person trying to infiltrate his life, someone whom he didn't want anywhere near him, it had caused him to become even more reserved then usual._

 _This had Naruto furious. He had gotten used to Sasuke's moods pretty early on in their weird friendship and there had been a moment where he could remember exactly it had been, the last day of school right before winter break in second grade, where Sasuke seemed to have realized that Naruto wasn't going anywhere and had accepted that fact much to Naruto's delight. From then, things had smoothened out between them, like passing your hands down the wrinkles of your shirt to smooth them out, and soon they were never seen without the other. They weren't just two different people; they had become to be known, by faculty and classmates, as 'Naruto and Sasuke.'_

 _With the continuous pestering that was happening during this time, it seemed to have caused a strain in their friendship. They were constantly nipping and berating each other for the smallest things and often times they didn't eat lunch together, which everyone had noticed but didn't comment on._

 _The final straw had been one day during lunch, when the cold hair was finally creeping in and the skies had more clouds than sun. Naruto sat around others he knew, Shikamaru slept next to him while Choji and he tried to see who could steal the most food out of their friend's lunches. Ino sat in front of them, doodling on a notebook and Sakura was too engrossed on her book to notice much around her. Naruto had been keeping an eye out on Sasuke, who was sitting on the other side of the courtyard picking away at his bento box, with no one else by his side._

 _Just as Naruto had decided to go see if Sasuke wanted company, the tall form of the new girl appeared by the double doors of the building and her eyes scanned around the area for a certain Uchiha. Once her eyes had locked on her target, she sped walked right over to him, not caring who or what was in her way. Sasuke ignored her as she stood in front of him, not paying the least amount of attention as she jabbered away on who knows what. Naruto was going to turn the other cheek and let Sasuke fend for himself until what happened next caused him to see nothing but red._

 _The girl had grabbed one of Sasuke's slim arm and had squeezed so much that Sasuke had actually cried out in pain as he tried to claw her hand away. It was when she shook him that Naruto realized that he had somehow ran across the courtyard and had barreled into her using his head to hit her on the side of her stomach. He hadn't known was he was doing until he felt to arms coil around his chest and hoist him off of her, hands still poised to attack and feet kicking out only to hit the air. He swore he was growling but he couldn't stop because all he could see was Sasuke crying out and being shaken._

 _It took Iruka to yell out his name a couple of times before he realized he was fighting the air and sagged into Iruka's arms in realization. The girl laid on the floor, bawling with scratch marks running down her cheeks and nose while Sasuke stood off to the side holding the arm that currently had a hand shaped print and was red around the handprint._

 _Iruka hauled Naruto out of there, a quiet Sasuke trailing after him and all the kids in the yard cheering. After a twenty-minute lecture and a slap on the wrist, Sasuke's parents had been notified that he was being sent to the nurse's office and Iruka had tried to get in touch with Naruto's foster parents but to no avail, he left a voicemail instead. As the nurse looked over Sasuke's arm, Naruto sat right next to him, swinging his legs about and staring at everything but Sasuke._

 _Naruto jumped when he felt cold fingers slide into his own and when he looked at the pale fingers laced into his own tanned and bruised ones, he slowly trailed his eyes up to Sasuke's face. Sasuke stared straight ahead and didn't seem too happy but the grip he had on Naruto's hand told the blond otherwise._

 _"I'm not a girl that you need to save. I can handle myself so don't ever fight for me again. Got it?"_

 _Naruto stared for what felt like an eternity but the smile that slowly slithered on to his lips made Sasuke grip the warm fingers even tighter._

 _"Whatever you say Sasuke."_


End file.
